At the 2025 session of the International Labour Conference beginning in Geneva this week, Government, employer and worker delegates from the ILO's 187 Member States will address important world of work matters. This year includes a possible new international standard on decent work in the platform economy. Congress is represented on the Workers Group in this Committee by David Joyce.
Below, Huw Thomas, Assistant Professor at University College Dublin writes about what is at stake.
Platform workers, such as those employed by Uber and Deliveroo, often endure precarious working conditions and limited labour rights. Classified as independent contractors, they are frequently denied benefits such as minimum wage guarantees, paid leave, and collective bargaining rights. This misclassification allows companies to make billions whilst evading their responsibilities. Legal reforms and court rulings in several countries are advocating for the recognition of platform workers as employees, and recently, the EU has established the Platform Workers Directive. Up until now, however, no international standard that would level the playing field and empower workers across the globe has been discussed.
This is all about to change. Next month, in Geneva Switzerland, the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the so-called ‘World Parliament of Labour’, will hold the first of two discussions on a new international labour standard to regulate the platform economy.
The ILO was established in 1919, and whereas all other international organisations consist solely of government representatives, ILO decision-making brings together governments, trade unions and employers. This unique tripartite structure provides a solid foundation for the ILO’s primary remit of international standard-setting – creating and monitoring labour conventions – agreed by those who represent capital, labour and the state.
Platform workers have, until recently, received very little attention from the ILO, which is surprising considering that they often endure poor working conditions. However, even in the face of strong opposition from the employers at the ILO, concerted union action in 2022 led to the decision that it was time for the ILO to adopt a new standard addressing the unique characteristics of platform workers and the decent work deficits they face.
Although it has been agreed that a standard is necessary to protect platform workers, in the ILO this can mean one of two things. On one hand the adoption of a Convention, which is a legally binding international treaty. On the other, a non-binding guidance document, known as a Recommendation (or a combination of both). Only a binding Convention can guarantee decent work because if ratified at the national level, the Convention serves as the basis for national laws and regulations, and more importantly, if a country is in violation, workers have avenues to pursue justice for these violations.
Employers are historically firmly opposed to any form of standard-setting but given the tripartite agreement that a standard is necessary, they will advocate for a Recommendation. A recent survey by the ILO indicates that 91% of employers support a Recommendation, while 33% of governments and only 3% of trade unions back this outcome. Closer to home, the Irish government has expressed its support for a Convention (without a Recommendation), whereas IBEC has aligned itself with its international employer counterparts and appears to have little aspiration for the two-year discussion.
The scene is therefore set for a very tumultuous discussion taking place over two weeks in Geneva with over 4,000 delegates descending upon the Palais Des Nations. To win, unions will need to persuade governments and employers that a Convention and Recommendation are necessary. This is even more important as, behind the scenes, platform companies are already lobbying governments in an attempt to deny workers their fundamental rights.
This first discussion in June this year will likely centre on the type of instrument – a Convention or Recommendation – with the 2026 discussion focusing on the final legal text. If a Convention were adopted in 2026, the standard would come into force in 2027 and, most importantly, require member states to ratify and implement it into their national law – more of a case of “watch this space”, rather than “here it comes”. What’s clear, though, is that the importance of this discussion cannot be overstated – its success will speak volumes for the prospects of decent work for platform workers around the globe and the continuing relevance of the ILO.
